10 Questions with Farras Abdelnour

Farras Abdelnour earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from NYU Tandon School of Engineering, after which he pursued research in neuroscience. In 2017 Farras earned his MPS graduate degree in digital photography from the School of Visual Arts, New York, where he was awarded two grants. His thesis investigated the limits of minimalism and the concept of nothingness by repeatedly photographing the sea and sky during and after dusk from the same location over the span of months. Having lived in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the USA, he has been exposed to and influenced by rich cultures and granted a unique way of viewing life. His photography work has been exhibited in various venues in New York, New Mexico, and Europe. In 2020 he presented his work at SVA and PROJECTIONS. Farras is an alumnus of the prestigious photography event Review Santa Fe 2021.

www.abdelnour.photos | @farrasabdelnour

Farras Abdelnour - Portrait by Stephanie Gregory - @stephaniegregoryphoto

ARTIST STATEMENT

Farras Abdelnour’s fine art explores the serenity of sparsity and the absence of clutter, be it visual, acoustic, or mental. By and large, his work is influenced by his mathematical background. He uses photography as a contemplative medium. In his quest for emptiness, he composes abstract, sparse images. His fine art photography evokes a subdued mood, a sense of nostalgia. In this spirit, he pursues transforming his photos into abstract shapes and patterns with hints of everyday life using such concepts as morphing operations, here exploited as artistic tools. In addition to fine art, Farras pursues documentary photography, where the human condition is the main thrust and the common thread. He believes that as an artist, he is in a unique position to convey, interpret, and articulate the human condition using visual tools. Whether the work is fine art or documentary, Farras aspires to make his work connect intimately with the viewer.

Parallel Morphs 05, Digital, 44x66 cm, 2021 © Farras Abdelnour

INTERVIEW

What kind of education or training helped you develop your skill set?

I have a background in electrical engineering. However, my Ph.D. was mathematical, developing signal and image enhancement tools. Most of my research after earning my Ph.D. involved modeling the brain mathematically into an abstract entity, analyzing its properties, then compare against real-life data. This back and forth transition between the real and abstract worlds trained me to translate photographs from everyday life to images of otherworldly patterns. I continued my explorations of the abstract world after joining the School of Visual Arts in New York, where I pursued a graduate program in digital photography. The program formalized my skills in image manipulation, and I later revisited a mathematics tool, exploiting it as another tool in my artistic arsenal.

How did you start making art? And how would you define yourself as an artist?

It was a long process. I remember watching my father marvel at his SLR Voigtlander as a child. The complex machine peeked my curiosity; years later, my father got me a compact Minolta. A summer job afforded me my first SLR, a Minolta as well. I pursued photography as a hobby for years, and it was secondary to my graduate studies in engineering, which heavily involved mathematics. I came to appreciate the aesthetics of mathematics, the beauty of a compact and elegant proof. On weekends I would grab my camera and explore the New York streets and neighborhoods. I would get on the subway and exit at a randomly chosen stop, and start photographing. My fine art side didn’t bloom until I joined the School of Visual Arts program in New York in 2016.
I think of myself as primarily a fine art photographer, interested in constructing abstract or graphical patterns, often exploiting mathematical concepts and tools. I additionally pursue documentary photography. It is a way of giving back to society. I believe every artist needs to give back to society.

Parallel Morphs 03, Digital, 44x66 cm, 2021 © Farras Abdelnour

Parallel Morphs 02, Digital, 44x66 cm, 2021 © Farras Abdelnour

What is your creative process like? Do you ever experience creative blocks?

Often, the ideas that trigger a project come from mundane everyday life elements. When I look at people, I see patterns and shapes; when I look at the street, I see textures. I search for colors and harmony. But ultimately, I search for inspiration from simple patterns with just one or two dominant colors or elements. Hitting a creative block is not infrequent. When it happens, I step back; with or without a camera, I observe the scenery around me, the patterns, the colors, and the moods, seeking a visual story, or simply soaking it all up. I try to make myself open to ideas from my artist friends, and I listen to my gut feeling even when it lacks clarity.

You work with abstract art and photography. How do you incorporate them into your work? And what messages would you like to convey with this practice?

I always start with a digital photo. I have a vision in mind of the final work; a pattern of squares, a texture with one dominant color, and so on. The next step is to decide what real-life objects or patterns and colors will correspond to my vision, then start photographing, transforming the images, and experimenting with the resulting abstract images until it speaks to me. I hope the viewer will interact with the work as a contemplative experience.

Morphed City 01, Digital, 44x66 cm, 2018 © Farras Abdelnour

What role does the artist have in society, in your opinion?

Inherently and by definition, every piece of creative work is a call for change. Every work of art speaks the truth to power. Every work of art is a revelation and critique of the ideology and politics of its time. Artists are intrinsically on the front line of calls for change in society. The very nature of being an artist, the drive for creativity, fine-tunes the artists to continually and instinctively seek justice in society.

What do you see as the strengths of your project, visually or conceptually?

My fine artwork tends to be unique in its approach toward altering reality via the intersection of photography and mathematical tools. I typically deconstruct an image and then reinterpret it, retelling the story the image conveyed.
In my documentary work, I seek communities and subjects considered outlying, rarely presented in mainstream media. I am fascinated with the concept of change. I repeatedly visit the same site over a few years and photograph it as it changes, evolves, vanishes, or transforms. It can be an industrial site (my weakness), a residential site, or a gas station.

Where do you find inspiration? And how do you engage with your network?

The reductionist nature of mathematics has had a powerful influence on my work. A compact and clean mathematical proof is viewed as a beautiful work, almost visually appealing. In a similar spirit, the 4’33” conceptual work by American artist John Cage has been an important source of inspiration in my work as I seek nothingness. Hiroshi Sugimoto’s work has been a powerful inspiration, especially his series Seascape. I regularly post my work on Instagram, mostly from my ongoing documentary project on life along the L train neighborhoods in New York City.

What do you think of the art market? And what would you expect from it?

The art market, specifically related to photography, has been saturated, with quality photography overwhelmed by forgettable work. Moreover, art galleries may no longer be the ideal outlet for exposing and selling artists’ work. For better or worse, the artist needs to be their own business person, promote their own work, and seek alternatives to art galleries. As I reevaluate my approach to making money from my photography, I am rejoining academia and pursuing neuroscience research.

Did you see any changes or improvements in the market and art community over the past couple of years, since the starting of the pandemic?

If anything, from my experience, the pandemic has been a setback for both artists and galleries. The abrupt halt in exhibitions for more than a year meant that many galleries have backed up their scheduled exhibitions, which has made it harder for artists seeking exposure outlets. And now, two years into the pandemic, many photographers have quit attempting to make a living from their art.

Morphed City 02, Digital, 44x66 cm, 2018 © Farras Abdelnour

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

I am currently working on a few projects in parallel, all of transformative nature, metamorphosing images of everyday life. Each project has its own spirit. I am also wrapping up a project of portraits of tourists and commuters in New York’s Grand Central station using an infrared camera (distinct from similar photos on my website, shot with a regular camera).
The photos were well received at last year’s Review Santa Fe, and I am looking for a venue where they can be exhibited. After more than seven years of working on a documentary project on the changes along the L subway line neighborhoods in New York, I am about to start editing and sequencing the photos as a book while looking for a publisher.

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